Advanced Search
Index: Environment / Subcategory: Quality of Environment

Public Drinking Water Quality

Date posted: 02/21/2008

Chart Directory:

Drinking water quality is determined by the level of contaminants found in public water systems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Safe Drinking Water Act, has established contaminant level standards for over 80 radionuclides, microbes, organic chemicals, and inorganic chemicals in public drinking water. Public water systems systematically sample and test drinking water and provide those results to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE). CDPHE then aggregates and reports those data to the EPA. Any health violations (not meeting EPA standards) or monitoring violations (failure to comply with testing procedures) are made available to the public through the EPA's Envirofacts database.

A community water system is defined as a facility that provides drinking water to the same population year-round (as opposed to a campground water system, which may supply water to a changing population for only part of the year). The data below concern only medium to very large (serving 3,300+ residents) community water systems. Information on water quality in smaller water systems can be found in the Envirofacts database, which contains data on all public water systems in Larimer County and the United States, including those serving campgrounds.

Larimer County's large water systems are owned either by towns and cities, or by water districts. Water districts are independent (proprietary or semi-governmental) entities that provide water to County residents who live outside the bounds of city and town water systems. Click here for an explanation of large water system ownership in Larimer County, and click here for a map of Larimer and Weld County large water system boundaries.

What this chart shows: Larimer County Residents Served by Medium to Very Large (3,300+ Residents) Community Water Systems

Larimer County Residents Served by Medium to Very Large (3,300+ Residents) Community Water Systems

Data Source: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Envirofacts Warehouse

See data table

What this chart shows: Health and Monitoring Violations in Medium to Very Large (3,300+ Residents) Larimer County Community Water Systems

Health and Monitoring Violations in Medium to Very Large (3,300+ Residents) Larimer County Community Water Systems

Data Source: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Envirofacts Warehouse

See data table

What these data tell us:

 The water quality in medium to very large Larimer County water systems is generally good. City of Fort Collins and City of Loveland water systems had the most monitoring/ reporting violations. There were only three water systems that had health violations between 1997 and 2006 (Berthoud, Little Thompson and West Fort Collins).

Smaller water systems are generally more likely to have health and/or monitoring violations. For information on water quality in Larimer County's smaller water systems, see the EPA's Envirofacts database.

Additional Information:

Ownership of Medium to Very Large Larimer County Water Systems

Water system facilities in Colorado may be owned by individuals, cities, or other entities. The large water systems in Larimer County are owned either by towns, or by independent water districts. Water systems owners are responsible for meeting quality and monitoring requirements enforced by the EPA. The ownership of the water systems shown on this page is as follows:

To see a map of the boundaries of these and other area water districts, click here.

On Compass:

Outside Compass: